Never Let Go
by guubear
Summary: Shizuru invites Natsuki to stay over at her family estate in Kyoto. Fluff ensues. Rated M for yuri content.
1. Meet The Parents

**Never Let Go**

**By: Guubear**

Disclaimer: I don't own Mai-HiME.

* * *

Chapter 1: Meet The Parents 

The first time it happened, Natsuki was completely oblivious. All she knew was, one minute they were making out on the sofa, and then the next Shizuru was tensing up and shaking with her head tossed back. Natsuki thought Shizuru was having a mild seizure. Oddly, when she asked Shizuru about it, all she got from the older girl was a mad blush and a soft 'ikezu'.

How peculiar.

Concerned, Natsuki went to the infirmary the next day and asked the school nurse about her girlfriend's unusual condition. The reaction she got from Youko was even more confusing. What was so damn funny about her question?

Peculiar, indeed.

"Guess who."

A pair of smooth hands sneaked around her head and covered her eyes as a warm, soft female body pressed up against her back. Natsuki let out a startled yelp before her brain registered the identity of this familiar presence. "Shi... Shizuru." She stuttered.

"Correct answer." Shizuru removed her hands from Natsuki's face and wrapped her arms around the younger girl's waist instead. She didn't forget to 'accidentally' brush up against Natsuki's breasts in the process.

Natsuki struggled to keep her composure as all her blood seemed to be rushing toward her face. "Not here! It's embarrassing. People are going to see..."

"It's just us here." Shizuru cooed and nuzzled her bashful girlfriend's reddened ear. Being together for a while now, she knew the girl secretly liked to be cuddled. What the girl hated was being stared at for being a softy, not the physical intimacy itself.

The flower garden in Fuuka Academy was always deserted after school. Natsuki especially liked the solitude she could find in this place. Letting out a content sigh, she relaxed and leaned back against Shizuru's front with her eyes closed. "You don't have to sneak up on me every time." She whined half-heartedly.

Shizuru chuckled lightly, but decided not to retort with a witty remark. At least not at the moment. All she wanted was to cuddle with her girlfriend, not to start a fight.

"I thought you would be busy packing for your trip back to Kyoto tomorrow. Why are you here?" asked Natsuki.

"Oh, about that..." Shizuru tilted her head and peered at Natsuki's face with one eye closed. "I changed my mind."

Natsuki unconsciously gripped tighter at her girlfriend's hands. "You're not going?" She asked hopefully.

"I'm still going."

"But you just said..."

Shizuru pecked lightly on Natsuki's pout and continued. "I'm taking you with me."

"Wha..." Natsuki's mouth hung open at the unexpected answer. "Does that mean I have to meet your parents?" Her face turned white and her throat went dry. If possible, she would avoid meeting Shizuru's parents at all cost. It wasn't that she disliked them, she was afraid of them. Imagine what it would be like being grilled by two Shizuru Seniors. The very thought gave her nightmares.

"Ara. Does my Natsuki not want to see her future in-laws?"

"No, it's not that... In-laws?!" Natsuki's face instantly turned red. "We aren't married yet!"

Shizuru had to bite the inside of her bottom lip to stop herself from squealing in delight when she heard the word 'yet' in Natsuki's reply. "Don't worry, I won't let them be mean to my most precious person. Besides..." She mustered her most innocent puppy eyes. "I'll be terribly lonely if I can't see you for two whole weeks. So come with me. Pretty please?"

* * *

After a two-hour ride on the bullet train, they were greeted by a chauffeur in a black suit and ushered into an expensive-looking black car. Natsuki wasn't too crazy about riding in the backseat of a car, but Shizuru kept her mind off this matter by attempting to grope her every chance she got. Fortunately for Natsuki, the car ride only lasted twenty short minutes, though Shizuru had the faintest suspicion that the chauffeur was stepping too hard on the gas. 

Shizuru's house... mansion in Kyoto was grander than Natsuki had imagined. She always knew her girlfriend's family was rich enough to afford hiring private tutors to teach Shizuru all sorts of traditional arts. Still, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed when seeing it with her own eyes. The massive mansion/heritage building Shizuru called 'her humble residence' gave Natsuki goosebumps even though it was midsummer.

"Welcome home, ojou-sama."

Natsuki found herself (and Shizuru) being swarmed by a flock of fangirls in maid uniforms the second she stepped into the house. Taken aback, Natsuki did the first thing that came to her mind - she gave the girls the 'Kuga Death Glare'. Strangely enough, instead of cowering back like normal people would, Natsuki swore she saw heart-shaped glints popping out of those girls' eyes.

"Sooo coool!"

"Lady-killer stare!"

_What the hell?_ Natsuki had the illusion of being surrounded by a pack of hyenas.

"Ahh, she is blushing!"

"Sooo cuuute!"

Shizuru came to Natsuki's rescue by draping her arms over the younger girl's shoulders. "Easy, girls. Try not to scare away my girlfriend, ok?"

"Yes, ojou-sama." The maids replied in unison.

Natsuki finally understood why Shizuru never had any problem with her fan club back in Fuuka. That damn woman had plenty of experience dealing with fangirls in her own home!

"Ara, ara. Now I see why my Shizuru-chin didn't want to come home. She had found herself quite a cutie." Said a voice with a thick Kyoto accent. Natsuki had no doubt that the woman in the purple kimono was Shizuru's mother. If she were twenty years younger, she would be Shizuru's splitting image.

"I'm home, mother." Shizuru gave her mother a curt nod. To Natsuki's dismay, she had no intention of releasing her hold on the raven-haired girl.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Natsuki bowed awkwardly with Shizuru still clinging to her neck. She blushed hotly when she noticed the Shizuru-like grin on her girlfriend's mother's face. "Shouldn't you let go now?" She growled through her teeth.

Shizuru pretended she didn't hear her. "This is Kuga Natsuki, my girlfriend."

Shizuru's mother chuckled softly behind a raised hand. "Nice meeting you, Kuga-han. Oh relax, Shizuru-chin, I won't bite her. You don't have to be so defensive." She said to her daughter with a knowing smile.

Natsuki felt her jaw drop to the floor when she saw Shizuru blushing in embarrassment before she loosened her grip. _Holy... Shizuru's mother made Shizuru blush! This is so wrong..._

"I'm not being defensive, mother."

"Hai, hai." Shizuru's mother said dismissively. "In any case, go see your father first. I'm sure he wants to see you and your girlfriend too."

"Yes, mother." Shizuru nodded and took Natsuki's hand into her own. "This way."

* * *

"This girl is Kuga Natsuki, my girlfriend." 

Natsuki sat kneeling beside Shizuru. Although she was not used to sitting in a seiza position, she tried her best not to show any discomfort.

"Don't be shy, say hi to father." Shizuru urged.

Natsuki wasn't sure how to start, so she decided not to think too much and just said whatever came to her mind. "Er... Hello. Nice to meet you." She scratched her head and continued after taking in a long breath. "My name is Kuga Natsuki... Would you stop giggling? This is very distracting, not to say very disrespectful, you know." She frowned at Shizuru with her face flushed.

"Don't mind me. Feel free to continue. I'm sure father doesn't mind." Shizuru couldn't keep her face straight. Seeing Natsuki with that serious face was too much for her.

"I'll continue, but you don't get to listen." Natsuki closed her eyes and clapped her hands together twice in a silent prayer in front of the Fujino family's household shrine.

_Your daughter is my most precious person. I don't know if I can meet your expectations, but I'll do everything in my power to make her happy..._

She opened her eyes and shot Shizuru a disapproving glare when she heard the woman's quiet chuckles. _Apparently, your daughter is way too happy now._ Natsuki added mentally. "Ok, I'm done. You can stop laughing already."

"What did Natsuki say to father?" Shizuru asked as she helped the girl up. Natsuki's legs had fallen asleep from sitting on them too long.

"That I hope he won't be turning in his grave for having a spoiled brat as his daughter." Natsuki said dryly.

Shizuru pouted. "Ikezu."

* * *

For some odd reason, Natsuki's luggage had somehow ended up in Shizuru's room instead of in one of the numerous spare rooms within the mansion. When Natsuki asked about it, Shizuru swore she had nothing to do with the implied sleeping arrangements. Natsuki believed her since she had an inkling her girlfriend's mother might have been the one who planned this. 

"I don't think it's that big a deal. Your room is big enough, we can easily spread out two futons."

"Two?" Shizuru looked a tad disappointed. "I was hoping we could cuddle tonight."

"Hey! We're in your parents' house for crying out loud!" Natsuki couldn't believe how Shizuru could possibly be thinking about making out at such an inappropriate place.

Clearly, Shizuru did not share Natsuki's sentiment. "What's so wrong about cuddling with my girlfriend in the comfort of my own room?" She was quite puzzled.

"It's your room, but your MOTHER is still somewhere inside this building. It's weird!"

"It is?" Shizuru didn't seem convinced.

"It is." Natsuki reassured her with a firm nod.

"Since Natsuki says so..." Shizuru sighed. Natsuki looked relieved by the older girl's answer, but what Shizuru said next made her want to hit her head against something hard. "Then all we need to do is to put up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door so mother won't walk in on us."

* * *

Because they came to Kyoto by train, Natsuki couldn't take her Ducati with her. When Shizuru mentioned she had a bike available for going around the neighbourhood, Natsuki naturally thought she was talking about a motorcycle. Which was why she was staring with her mouth hanging open when she saw Shizuru's old bicycle. 

"Ara. Why is Natsuki so surprised? I did say I have a bike, didn't I?"

Natsuki gawked at the horrid purple sad excuse of a bike _Why does everything the woman owns have to be in that colour?_ and hoped that the thing would self-destruct _Holy Shit! It even has a purple sissy basket attached to the handle bar!_ in the next two seconds.

"Tell me we are not riding on it." Natsuki pleaded.

"Why not?" Asked Shizuru with a raised eyebrow.

"It's too..." Natsuki's mouth twisted in disgust while she racked her brain for the best word to describe the bike.

"Girly?" Shizuru suggested.

"Purple!" Natsuki almost yelled.

"What's wrong with having a little colour on a bike?"

Natsuki shuddered. "A LITTLE colour?" She pointed at the bike with a trembling finger. "It's a psychedelic orgy of every shade of purple ever invented!"

Shizuru was not impressed by Natsuki's sudden outburst. "If Natsuki doesn't like my old bike, she can sit on the back rack. I'll do the peddling." She said dryly.

Natsuki changed her mind. "There's no way I would ever be caught dead sitting on the bitch seat of this sissy bike. You are wearing the long skirt, you sit on the back. I'll peddle."

"And here I thought you didn't like my bike."

"Who said I did?" Natsuki retorted with a scowl on her face. She gripped the handle bars and swung a leg over the seat. "Climb up. Tell me how to get to a decent eatery nearby. I'm hungry."

Smiling contently at the raven-haired girl, Shizuru sat side-way on the back rack of the bike and wrapped her arms around Natsuki's slender waist in a familiar embrace. _No helmet._ She thought happily as she nestled her forehead against the side of Natsuki's neck. _One of the many perks of riding on a bicycle._

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. **HAPPY BIRTHDAY NATSUKI!!!** This story was intended for a one-shot, but like usual, I got carried away so it ended up as a multi-chapter story. (Thank you, Hannah. :D)

2. "-han" and "-chin" are the equivalent of "-san" and "-chan" in Kyoto dialect.

3. I'll try to update my other fics... eventually. -shifty eyes- (More ShizNat fluffiness never hurts.) Please read and review.


	2. Touch

Chapter 2: Touch

"Damn you, Shizuru. You didn't tell me there're so many fucking slopes in Kyoto!" Natsuki cursed breathlessly. It was too late to take it back now, but she should have taken Shizuru up on her earlier offer and let the Kyoto native do the peddling herself. Her legs ached and her thin blue T-shirt was soaked with sweat.

"We're almost there. Turn right at the next stop sign." Shizuru was having a lot of fun, though she was feeling slightly guilty for making Natsuki peddle so hard. But honestly, having Natsuki's toned abdominal muscles ripple underneath her palms was an experience she did not want to pass up.

"You're picking up the tab this time." Natsuki grunted.

Shizuru let out a series of bell-like laughter and leaned forward to press a soft kiss on Natsuki's sweat-drenched shoulder. Her gesture made the younger girl groan in protest.

They finally stopped before a small restaurant after thirty minutes of hellish bike riding. Natsuki's flushed face turned green when she saw the name of the restaurant: Tosuiro Tofu House.

Just like the name suggested, this restaurant served nothing but tofu. Much to Natsuki's surprise, she found herself gorging on every tofu dish Shizuru ordered with great delight. Her favourite was the creamy tofu sorbet.

"Kyoto is famous for its tofu. It's good to know we could enjoy the same food for once." Shizuru said over a cup of barley tea. "There's even oil-less healthy mayonnaise made of tofu. Amazing, isn't it?"

"Oil-less healthy tofu mayonnaise?" Natsuki was appalled by the idea. "Blasphemy! Mayonnaise should be made of good old yolk and oil. It won't taste good if you use the wrong ingredients." She commented like a true mayonnaise expert.

Shizuru decided not to tell Natsuki that she had been slipping tofu mayonnaise into her diet for a few months now.

* * *

Occasionally they would stop for some tea and snacks in small tea houses, but for the most part they spent the afternoon riding aimlessly on Shizuru's purple bicycle. Even though Natsuki was having a leg cramp by the time they got back to Shizuru's place, she was having too much fun to care. 

"Man... Now I feel it." Natsuki sat on the tatami floor in Shizuru's room and rubbed her calves with a slight frown on her face. "Aw..."

"I'll help." Shizuru sat beside her girlfriend and moved her sore legs on top of her lap. Her fingers skilfully kneaded those tense muscles like a potter would her clay. "Feeling better?" She asked.

Natsuki made an approving groan and lay sprawling on her back with her eyes closed. "Much better. But next time we'll take my Ducati. Your bike sucks."

"My bike doesn't suck."

"It does."

"Does not."

"Does so."

"Does not."

"Spoiled brat."

"Whiny squirt."

Natsuki's eyes snapped open. "Oh now that's a low blow. You are two centimetres taller than I am. You don't get to call me short."

"Ara, so you agree you are whiny." Shizuru said with a smirk.

"I'm not whiny!" Natsuki protested defiantly.

"Exactly my point."

Natsuki knew she couldn't win against her girlfriend in a verbal exchange. Instead of wasting her breaths arguing with Shizuru, she decided to just shut up and let the witty Kyoto woman have the last word.

Besides, she didn't feel like arguing with her girlfriend now. Not when she was enjoying having Shizuru massaging her legs... "What are you doing?" Natsuki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Massaging you of course." Shizuru answered matter-of-factly. During their little banter, she had worked her way up from Natsuki's calves to her lower thighs.

Looking up at the girl who was kneeling between her legs while groping her butt, Natsuki had an sudden urge to laugh. "Yeah, my ass was kinda sore too. It would definitely need some serious groping."

"It would. Wouldn't it?" Shizuru said and leaned down to peck on the raven-haired girl's lips. She only deepened the kiss when she felt Natsuki's hands pressing on the back of her head.

Tilting her head to the side, Natsuki let the Kyoto girl tentatively dip her tongue further into her mouth. The soft hum brewing in Shizuru's throat turned into broken moans when Natsuki gently sucked on the soft flesh. Shizuru shuddered in bliss and felt her eyes rolling to the back of her head behind closed eyelids. Everything Natsuki did to her tended to cause similar effects. It scared her sometimes to know just how much power Natsuki held over her without even realizing it herself.

Finally breaking the kiss for much needed air, Natsuki stroked her girlfriend's back with both hands and laughed. "Hey, your hands stopped. Didn't you say you would massage me?"

"My hands are tired. Manual labour is not my forte." Shizuru replied breathlessly and settled herself comfortably on top of Natsuki, her hands still holding onto the girl's buttocks.

"Not your forte, I see." Natsuki grinned and suddenly flipped her girlfriend over, straddling her hip and pinning both her wrist down above her head with only one hand. Staring into the emerald green eyes only inches above of her face, Shizuru let out a whimper when Natsuki caressed her bottom lip with her thumb. "Is that why you tricked me into doing all the manual labour myself?"

Shizuru couldn't answer Natsuki's question because her head was blank at the moment. Grinning smugly, Natsuki trailed her free hand slowly down Shizuru's delicate chin, her swan neck, her heaving breasts, before finally stopping at the side of her hourglass waist. "Your HiME mark was here, right?" She asked as her hand crawled up Shizuru's shirt and caressed a particular spot on the left side of her lower ribs. The gasps the chestnut-haired girl let out were most satisfying to Natsuki's ears.

"Be ready to be punished."

Shizuru's brain couldn't register the meaning behind those gleeful words before Natsuki struck.

"HAHAHAHAHA... STOP... HAHAHA... NA... HAHAHA... NO... HAHAHA..." No matter how hard she begged, Natsuki wouldn't stop tickling her. All she could do was wiggle uselessly under Natsuki's merciless assault.

"Say you're sorry." Natsuki ordered.

"HAHAHA... SO... HAHAHA... SORRY...HAHAHA... STOP... HAHAHA... I ... HAHAHA... I CAN'T... HAHAHA..." Shizuru's arms had broken free in her frantic struggle. Unfortunately, it didn't mean she could escape, it only meant that the raven-haired girl could use both hands to attack both sides of her waist.

"Ara, ara." The voice of a third person in the room made them freeze and look up. The woman standing beside the sliding door was looking at them with much amusement. "It's so good to be young." Shizuru's mother said while holding a hand up to her faintly blushing cheeks.

Natsuki followed the woman's gaze and realized exactly what Shizuru's mother was talking about. She was straddling Shizuru's legs with her hands inside Shizuru's shirt while having her breasts grabbed by her girlfriend. "It's not what it looks like!" She quickly withdrew her hands and attempted to stand up, but in her panic she accidentally ripped Shizuru's shirt open when she tripped on her legs. Natsuki ended up falling flat on top of her baffled girlfriend with her face jammed right between Shizuru's bra-covered breasts.

"NOOOOOOOO..."

* * *

Natsuki was unable to meet anyone's eyes the whole night. Shizuru's mother's constant reminders of the embarrassing incident during dinner did not help one bit. The beet red blushes on her face lasted so long that it worried Shizuru if she would pass out since all her blood had rushed to her face. 

Making a fool out of herself at the most inappropriate timing was nothing new to Natsuki, but she was especially mortified this time. Shizuru was well aware of her girlfriend's depressed state, so she insisted on taking their routine bath together rather than letting the girl hide in the corner and lick her wounds in misery.

"Now is not the best time to be taking a bath together, Shizuru. Your mother just saw us like... that." Natsuki said gloomily. All she wanted was to make a good impression on Shizuru's mother, but somehow she'd managed to make herself look like a deranged sex-fiend who couldn't keep her hands to herself even at the presence of her girlfriend's mother. "She must think we'll be doing something perverted instead of taking a normal bath." She muttered as she rummaged through her luggage for a fresh set of clothing.

Shizuru chuckled. "We are not?"

Her question earned her a glare from the raven-haired girl. "Of course not. Which part of 'normal bath' don't you understand?"

"The 'normal' part." Shizuru sighed and hugged her girlfriend from behind. "Is Natsuki tired of me?"

"No!" Natsuki looked as if someone just kicked her over her head. "What kind of nonsense is that?" She turned and grabbed Shizuru's shoulders a little too harshly before pulling her into a tight embrace. "I thought we were over this. Didn't I tell you months ago that my 'love' is the same as your 'love', and that I'm a complete retard for not figuring it out sooner?"

Shizuru smiled and relaxed against Natsuki's front. "You did."

"Then what makes you think I don't want you?" Natsuki's voice came out shakily. The thought of Shizuru leaving her was simply unbearable.

Alarmed by Natsuki's tone, Shizuru looked up and found herself staring into Natsuki's moist green eyes. "Kannin na, Natsuki. Oh, no. I didn't mean it like that. Please don't be upset."

"I wouldn't be upset if you would just stop saying stupid things!" Natsuki rubbed her eyes angrily with the back of her hands before she wormed out of Shizuru's arms and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Shizuru asked, slightly afraid her girlfriend wouldn't be forgiving her anytime soon.

Natsuki paused at the door and shot her an annoyed look. "I'm taking a bath."

"Oh."

Eyebrows twitching impatiently, Natsuki stood with her arms crossed in front of her chest and demanded. "Are you coming or not?"

Shizuru jumped up and latched herself tightly to her girlfriend's back. "Of course. Let me show you where the bathroom is."

* * *

"Shizuru, this is not a bathroom. This is a freaking swimming pool." Holding a towel over her front, Natsuki couldn't help but look at the spacious bathroom with awe. One side of the wall was framed with a huge glass pane overlooking a fenced patch of traditional Japanese garden. Not counting the shower area, the bath 'tub' itself was big enough to easily accommodate twenty people. 

"What can I say, mother likes her bath." Shizuru sat down on a wooden stool near a showerhead. She was quite comfortable walking around naked in front of her girlfriend.

They only started bathing together a few months ago after the trip to the Fuuka Onsen Resort with all the other ex-HiMEs. According to Midori, bathing together with friends was the key to strengthening their bonds. Although the speech about bath and bonds seemed ridiculous, Natsuki found herself agreeing with the forever-seventeen-year-old.

The Carnival had torn their friendship apart, and even though they both wanted so desperately to rebuild it, they couldn't bring themselves to discuss the iffy subject of 'I-love-you-more-than-a-friend'. It was when they were both cloth-less that they could finally talk to each other with complete honesty. Since then, taking baths together had become their daily ritual. It was not about seeing each other naked, it was about laying themselves bare in front of the person they cared for the most.

"I hope your mother doesn't pop in like she did earlier." Natsuki peered at the door nervously. "God. Is there a lock on that door?"

"Relax." Shizuru tugged loose the towel around Natsuki's torso and put it aside. "I specifically asked her not to join us in the bath. I told her you were shy."

Natsuki blinked a few times before turning pale. "Does that mean she was planning to?"

Shizuru couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, mother was not offended. She thought you were the cutest thing."

"It sounded like you two were talking about a pet." Natsuki pouted and sat down on a stool next to Shizuru.

"But you are the cutest thing." Shizuru moved behind Natsuki and hugged her like she always did. She could feel Natsuki shiver when her nude front pressed against the girl's bare back. "Let me wash your hair." She said and brushed Natsuki's neck softly with her lips.

Natsuki nodded, and Shizuru retreated back a step to work on the task at hand. Shizuru was always gentle with her. She knew that even during the Carnival, Shizuru had never once hurt her. Suzushiro had openly questioned her more than once about how she could possibly allow Shizuru to be anywhere near her after being betrayed by her. Natsuki's answer to the harsh question was always the same: she trusted Shizuru. It was impossible to logically explain why she could trust someone who had been proven to be untrustworthy. Her blind faith in Shizuru was simply beyond reason.

She felt safe, _loved_, when Shizuru touched her.

"It's done. Want me to scrub your back?" Shizuru asked.

"Ok." Natsuki mumbled absent-mindedly.

She wondered if her touch would make Shizuru feel the same way.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. In case anyone doesn't know, this story will (hopefully) have ShizNat lemon in later chapters. I was trying to get them down to business as soon as possible when I first started, but obviously I failed.

2. Please read and review :D


	3. Kiss

Chapter 3: Kiss

Natsuki had thought about why Duran chose to be her Child. The creepy kid Nagi told her during the Carnival that a Child was nothing more than an Orphan that somehow formed a special bond with a HiME. She still remembered what she felt when she looked into the mechanical wolf's eyes for the first time.

It wasn't fear she felt, but something completely different. It was joy.

She knew she wouldn't be alone anymore.

Fate had not been kind to her, for during her short life she was repeatedly blessed with love only to have it promptly taken away from her. Her mother loved her, but she died; her father loved her, but he left. It would have been easier if she had never known what it was like to have loving parents in the first place.

Natsuki saw herself in Duran. Strange it might seem, but the image reflected off the mechanical beast's eyes showed a heart-wrenchingly lonely girl looking back at her. She wondered if that was how she looked to Shizuru when they first met in the flower garden years ago.

"Natsuki has been awfully quiet."

Shizuru's serene voice pulled Natsuki back from her thoughts. Soaking comfortably in the hot bath tended to make her mind wander. "Sorry. I was just thinking about some stuff." Natsuki said. She was sitting next to Shizuru near the edge of the giant bath, chin-deep in hot water.

Shizuru was interested. "What's the 'stuff' you were thinking about?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Natsuki shrugged. "I was thinking about Duran."

That was not the answer Shizuru expected. "You are sitting in a bath tub with your gorgeous, naked girlfriend, and all you can think about is your wolfy Child?" Shizuru complained with a pout. "At least tell me you were thinking about mayonnaise. I can't believe my ranking has dropped down to number seven without me knowing it."

"Number seven? What's that? What ranking?" Natsuki asked with a confused frown on her face.

Shizuru counted by ticking off her fingers. "Your mother, mayonnaise, bike, gun, puppy, and your Child Duran. Those are the six most precious things to you. I'm number seven... Am I number seven?" She stared pleadingly at Natsuki with a slightly nervous expression on her face. "Please tell me instant ramen doesn't rank any higher than I do."

"Instant ramen doesn't rank any higher than you do." Natsuki chuckled, her face rosy pink from both the hot water and shyness. "Neither does mayonnaise, bike, gun, puppy, nor my Child Duran. My mom is not here anymore, so she doesn't count either." Averting her eyes from Shizuru's intense gaze, she looked down on her twiddling thumbs and mumbled. "You are not number seven, you are number one... Oh fuck, this is so corny! Forget it! I didn't say anything!" Natsuki yelled while her arms flailing wildly, splashing bath water around her as she thrashed.

Shizuru easily caught Natsuki's hands and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. Natsuki struggled for a few seconds but quickly gave up since all she accomplished was rubbing her front against Shizuru's breasts instead of freeing herself from Shizuru's arms.

"That's against the rule, you know." Natsuki muttered under her breath. Letting out a soft sigh, she rested her chin on Shizuru's shoulder and put her arms up around Shizuru's neck.

"You mean the 'no-weird-touching-during-bath' rule? But this is only a hug, there's nothing weird about this." Shizuru stroked Natsuki's back idly, tracing the shallow trench along the girl's spine with her slender fingers. Much to her pleasure, the simple gesture not only elicited a soft gasp from Natsuki, but also a weak whimper that sounded suspiciously like 'meanie'.

Despite being immersed in hot water, Natsuki still shivered when she felt Shizuru's smooth curves pressing and _oh God..._ rubbing deliciously against her own. "A hug is fine, I guess." She said breathlessly, not noticing the hunger in her own voice.

Shizuru did not miss that. "Would a kiss be fine too?" The Kyoto-born whispered into her girlfriend's reddened ear before giving it the slightest nibble.

"A... kiss is fine." Natsuki moaned.

So Shizuru kissed her. Not on her lips like she had expected, but on the base of her neck. The soft cry she let out was drenched with desire when Shizuru started sucking gently on it with the same rhythm as her rapid pulse. Vaguely aware of the -noises- she was making, Natsuki futilely struggled to stay quiet. Unfortunately, Shizuru's soft lips and even softer tongue were making that task downright impossible.

After a few minutes, maybe a few hours, Shizuru finally broke the kiss. "There. A kiss as promised. Does Natsuki want more?" Whispered with her lips barely touching Natsuki's quivering mouth, Shizuru felt a wicked sense of pride swelling in her chest when she noticed the red mark she left on her girlfriend's neck.

Natsuki did not answer Shizuru's question. Puzzled, Shizuru moved her head back a little to take a better look at Natsuki's face. "Natsuki?"

"Shi..." Natsuki's whole body was as red as a lobster in a pot of boiling water. In fact, she was feeling like one right now. "I think... I need to get out of the bath. So dizzy..."

* * *

Lying face down on the tatami floor in Shizuru's room, Natsuki was overwhelmed by a rare sense of melancholy. Shizuru had dragged the human lobster out of the soup… bath and put her in a blue bathrobe earlier. Now the Kyoto-born was kneeling beside Natsuki and helping her dry her hair with a towel. 

"Is Natsuki still not feeling well?" Asked Shizuru in thick Kyoto-ben. "I forgot Natsuki couldn't stand hot water for too long. Kannin na."

"It's not that." Natsuki grumbled. "Say, Shizuru. Do you think I'm doomed to be a loser forever?"

Shizuru blinked at the younger girl's question. "Natsuki is not a loser."

"You really think so?" Natsuki sat up from the floor and looked Shizuru in the eyes. "But I'm a big joke! The most ridiculously stupid things always happen to me. I must be cursed."

"Natsuki is not cursed." Shizuru said firmly.

The raven-haired girl scoffed. "Pfft. Riiiiight... I just passed out in a hot bath while making out with you. Ha! Need I remind you that I molested you in front of your mother. If those aren't evidences of my bad luck, I don't know what else is... Oh, and let's not forget about the hitch-hiking incident..."

"I won't. Natsuki was very sexy in her dark blue bikini..." The rest of the sentence was smothered by Natsuki's hands. Eyes full of mirth, Shizuru gave Natsuki a mock thumbs up, obviously trying to make fun of the girl. The gesture made Natsuki jump up and tackle the Kyoto-born to the floor.

"You are insufferable. Do you know that?" Natsuki growled at Shizuru, her hands twitched in irritation against Shizuru's wrists.

"Ara, Natsuki sounded just like Haruka-san. Have you two been talking behind my back?" Shizuru asked with feigned curiosity.

Natsuki glared at Shizuru's innocent face. "If you don't stop, I'll tickle you again." She warned.

Shizuru let out an involuntary laugh as her body remembered the sensation of being mercilessly tickled earlier that day. "I'm stopping now. No tickling, please."

"Alright. I think I'll believe you this time." Natsuki said and slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position. Rolling her eyes, Natsuki caught Shizuru's outstretched hands and pulled her up. "You're very clingy, you know." Natsuki complained half-heartedly as Shizuru wrapping her arms around her waist.

"I can't help it. Natsuki is just too huggable." Shizuru cooed and buried her face in the nape of the younger girl's neck, inhaling the fresh just-out-of-bath scent emitting from Natsuki's warm body with a content smile. "You smell nice."

Natsuki's natural reaction to Shizuru's compliment/flirt was to blush. "Stop sniffing me. Are you a dog or something?"

The small smile on Shizuru's face broadened into a grin. "Ara, if Natsuki wants..." Shizuru stuck out her tongue and gave her girlfriend's reddened face a good licking. "I'm Duran. I lick, I lick, I lick."

"Shizuru! Oi! Stop that!" Natsuki wiggled around as the human Golden Retriever (aka Shizuru) relentlessly showering her face with playful licks and wet kisses.

"No." Shizuru replied simply and continued assaulting Natsuki's face with her tongue. "Your doggy wants some loving. Woof!"

Laughing weakly at Shizuru's stubborn, not to say childish behaviour, Natsuki uselessly tried to fend herself with her arms and whined. "Argh... You don't make a very obedient pet then. Bad doggy."

Shizuru froze at Natsuki's comment.

"Bad doggy?" Shizuru asked in a strangled tone that made Natsuki snap into full alert upon hearing her voice. Gulping audibly, Natsuki watched nervously as the chestnut-haired beauty slowly tilted her head, her ruby eyes moist and her sakura lips trembling. The sad expression on Shizuru's face made her look uncannily like an abandoned puppy, which Natsuki had just kicked in the stomach and left in the freezing rain.

Natsuki panicked.

"No no no! That's not what I mean! Good doggy, good doggy... NO! I mean, you are good, not bad, not a doggy either... SOMEONE PLEASE STOP ME!"

Just when Natsuki was pulling her hair out in frustration, Shizuru, who Natsuki thought was about to burst into tears because of her thoughtless comment, burst into laughter instead.

"Natsuki is too cute." Shizuru dabbed the corner of her eyes with a sleeve of her lilac sleeping yukata. She was tearing a bit from laughing too hard. Natsuki watched with her mouth hanging stupidly open.

"You tricked me!" Natsuki did not find Shizuru's prank funny at all. "I thought... I... You little... Forget it!" She rose to her feet and angrily strode away from the Kyoto-born, but she only had the chance to take two steps before she was forced to a halt by an added dead-weight of Shizuru clinging on her back. "Let go." She growled.

"Never." Shizuru replied coolly. "Natsuki is angry at me. Why?"

"Just because. Now let go."

"Never." Shizuru refused again, her arms tightened almost painfully around the raven-haired girl's waist. "Where is Natsuki going anyway?"

Natsuki took in a deep breath before letting out a long sigh. "I'm going to sleep. I'm tired."

"Sleep here." Shizuru insisted.

"I can't sleep if you don't let go." Natsuki pointed out the obvious. "I need to get the futon out. There's no bed in this room. Where did you keep it anyway?"

"It's in the build-in closet." Shizuru said, her voice was a little muffled since she was pressing her face against Natsuki's back. "Your arms and legs are free. I'm not letting go."

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes (she found herself doing that often whenever she was around her girlfriend), Natsuki worked her way to the closet and awkwardly took out a futon. The whole process of making a bed was made extra difficult with Shizuru sticking herself on Natsuki's back. She turned off the light and sat down on the futon. "Good night. Now go away. Make your own bed."

"Good night." Shizuru said but stayed attached to her girlfriend. "I'm still not letting go."

"Fine. Don't let go. Do whatever you want." Natsuki said and lay on her side on the futon.

"You forgot to take out a pillow and a blanket."

"Argh!"

Shizuru slipped an arm under Natsuki's head and snuggled closer to the girl's warm body. "Here's your pillow. You don't need a blanket, it's too hot anyway."

"Then stop hugging me if it's too hot."

"Never."

Natsuki sighed, again. "Fine." She muttered in a low voice and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later, just when she was about to drift off to sleep, Natsuki felt Shizuru tugging at her waist. "Yeah? What is it?" She asked sleepily.

"Are you still mad at me?" Shizuru asked carefully, yet her question still drove all thoughts of sleep from Natsuki's head.

Frowning slightly, Natsuki turned around to face the older girl and said: "I'm not mad at you."

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Are so."

"Am not."

"... Ikezu"

Natsuki slapped her forehead in defeat. "Ok, ok. I'm a big, mad, grumpy meanie. Ya happy? Can we please go to sleep now?"

"I want a good night kiss." Shizuru pouted.

Sighing inwardly, Natsuki gave her fuzzy girlfriend's forehead a soft peck. "There. Sweet dreams."

"Stingy."

Natsuki felt like crying now. "No one told me you would be such a high maintenance girlfriend. Tell me again, why am I putting up with you?"

"Because Natsuki loves me very much, she will spoil me rotten." Shizuru whispered as she brushed her lips against Natsuki's, gently urging the girl to kiss her back. "More kisses, please."

"More kisses?" Natsuki rolled on top of her girlfriend and flashed her a lopsided smirk. "I thought you only wanted a good night kiss. Let me guess, you're going to ask for more than just kisses later, right?"

"Natsuki knows me so well. I'm impressed." Shizuru chuckled, her eyes a deep shade of mahogany.

The lazy half-smile on Shizuru's face sent a shiver of anticipation down Natsuki's spine. Leaning forward, she captured Shizuru's waiting lips and kissed the Kyoto-beauty as asked.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. Sorry about the late update. :D –laugh weakly-

2. Shizuru's "Duran" line was taken from a preview in Mai-Otome. Please read and review.


	4. Don't Skip Sex Ed

Chapter 4: Don't Skip Sex Ed

_Shizuru was right, it's too hot to use a blanket. _

The heat roaring in the pit of Natsuki's stomach was almost unbearable when Shizuru slipped her hands inside the loose bathrobe to caress her bare breasts.

"I thought... you wanted to kiss." Natsuki panted and nuzzled the older girl's neck when she felt Shizuru's hands moving up to her shoulders to push down her bathrobe. Slightly light-headed, she drew a deep breath and started pulling on the lapels of Shizuru's yukata with a trembling hand.

"And I thought you wanted to sleep." Chuckled softly, Shizuru let the raven-haired girl struggle with her yukata on her own. "If you want to take it off, try to untie the sash first." She suggested.

Natsuki muttered something unintelligible and sat up straight with her legs still tangled with Shizuru's. The bathrobe she was wearing slid off her arms and pooled around her waist. Silver moonlight spilt in from the open sliding doors leading to the garden. Shizuru feasted her eyes on Natsuki's naked torso, which glistened with a thin sheen of sweat. Her throat went dry at the sight of the raven-haired girl's unearthly beauty. Unaware of what Shizuru was feeling at the moment, Natsuki proceeded to work on the stubborn sash tied around Shizuru's waist with both hands.

"Stupid knot..." Natsuki frowned in concentration. Apparently the knot had become too tight when she tugged on it earlier. "... Won't come off." Natsuki finally had enough and leaned down and used her teeth to fight the poor piece of cloth.

It was torture to the Kyoto-born.

Looking away from the dark head moving so dangerously close to her crotch, Shizuru tried very hard to stay still so it would be easier for Natsuki to undo the knot. Shizuru also tried to tell Natsuki the proper way to do it, but instead of words, all that came out when she opened her mouth were incoherent moans.

Spitting out the bit of cloth she was chewing, Natsuki crawled forward and stroked Shizuru's flushed face with her fingers. "Why are you making that sound? I haven't done anything yet." She murmured affectionately into Shizuru's ears, which seemed to be beet red like the colour of her cheeks.

"Because... because Natsuki is a cruel tease." Shizuru replied breathlessly as she leaned in against Natsuki's palm, taking the tip of the girl's index finger between her lips and gently sucking on it.

Natsuki couldn't take her eyes off Shizuru's face. Letting out a thick groan, she watched Shizuru's soft, pink tongue poking out of her mouth and licking along the length between her index and middle fingers before taking them both in her mouth again. "Now look who's talking." Natsuki said and quickly jerked her hand away from Shizuru.

The sudden lost of contact confused Shizuru. Lips still slightly parted, she stared up into Natsuki's smoky green eyes and licked the girl's bottom lip, wordlessly begging for more.

"Do something about your clothes." Natsuki whispered between kisses. The last thing she wanted was to tear down Shizuru's yukata like a sex-crazed animal in heat. And the funny thing was, Natsuki was sure she would definitely break something if Shizuru didn't remove that blasted yukata soon. _That does not mean I am a sex-crazed animal in heat. Nope, absolutely not._ Natsuki thought faintly.

Shizuru was more than happy to grant Natsuki's wish. Without looking, Shizuru reached down to the slightly soggy sash (courtesy of Natsuki) and easily untied the knot.

Once the only restraint holding Shizuru's clothes on her body was gone, Natsuki swiftly took over the job of stripping the Kyoto-born. Oddly, she felt like a kid unwrapping her birthday present...

"Natsuki looks so happy now." Shizuru said as she cupped the girl's face with both hands. The lilac yukata she was wearing had been tossed aside along with Natsuki's bathrobe. Just like Natsuki, the only clothes on Shizuru right now were her underwear.

Crouching atop Shizuru with her hips between Shizuru's legs and her arms on either side of Shizuru's naked body, Natsuki found herself yet again enthralled by how impossibly beautiful her girlfriend was. "Shizuru..." She said with a shy smile. "It's so strange. Although I still can't figure out why you choose me, I'm glad you did." Natsuki snuggled closer into Shizuru's arms and sighed contently with her face buried in the nape of Shizuru's neck. "I'm happy you are here with me."

"Natsuki is so sweet." Shizuru stroked the back of Natsuki's head, her fingers combing through the girl's luscious dark blue hair before bringing a small lock of it to her lips and kissing it. "So very sweet."

_I'm not sweet._ Natsuki propped herself up on her elbows and continued kissing down Shizuru's throat. She could feel the gentle vibration through her lips and tongue every time Shizuru made a sound in response to her kisses. _I'm an idiot who hurts you all the time... But you always stay by my side, you never abandon me._

Pulling her mouth away from Shizuru's collarbone for much needed air, Natsuki took her time to admire Shizuru's perfect mounds before finally cupping them with her hesitant hands. _So soft... Like marshmallows._

Shizuru's body jerked uncontrollably when Natsuki hesitantly licked one of her achingly hardened nipples like she would a lollipop, and then closed her lips around it. Letting out a soundless gasp, Shizuru arched her back and instinctively wrapped her legs tighter around Natsuki's hips, her hands clawing uselessly at Natsuki's back.

Fascinated by the response she got, Natsuki felt a strange sense of satisfaction when Shizuru squirmed and thrashed underneath her while calling out her name. Smiling to herself, Natsuki broke the kiss and proceeded to tease Shizuru's other nipple with the tip of her tongue. The slightly rough texture was a pleasant contrast to the smooth, soft mounds she was fondling in her hands.

Shizuru was delirious with lust as waves after waves of earthly pleasure overloaded all her senses, making her unconsciously bucking her hips against Natsuki's firm body.

And Natsuki choose to stop now of all time.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. It's probably a bad idea if we continue." Natsuki said with shallow breaths as she untangled herself from Shizuru's embrace.

"What?" Shizuru asked incredulously. "You can't be serious. Did I do something wrong? Don't... don't tell me..." Tears started forming in her sorrowful crimson eyes. Shizuru sat up with her arms covering her body and asked in a pleading tone. "Does Natsuki not like it?"

"NO! You got it all wrong. That's not what I mean." Natsuki hurriedly grabbed onto Shizuru's shoulders and looked into the older girl's eyes. "Remember what happened a couple days ago when we, you know..." She dropped her voice to a bare whisper. "Made out."

Shizuru blinked a few times and nodded.

Natsuki continued. "I was pretty worried so I went and asked Youko-sensei..."

"You did not!" Shizuru interrupted Natsuki with her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

"But you had a seizure! Do you have any idea how worried I was? You didn't even let me take you to see a doctor. It could have been something serious!" Natsuki failed to understand how Shizuru could be so adamant regarding her own health. "Anyways. So now you see, we better not do what we did last time, otherwise you might have another seizure. Nao also said..."

"You told NAO?!" Shizuru buried her beet red face in her palms. "Why Nao..."

"Well, it's not like I wanted to tell her. She was taking a nap in the infirmary when I was talking to Youko-sensei and apparently she overheard us... Are you alright, Shizuru?" Natsuki asked with a deep frown.

Shizuru had never been so humiliated in her life. "Who else knows?" She asked in a strangled voice.

Natsuki thought for a moment and answered. "I asked Mai first, but she wouldn't tell me. Mikoto was there too, but she didn't know anything. And then I went to ask Youko-sensei about it, that's when Nao overheard us. They said if I stop doing the same thing you won't have another attack. I wasn't so sure about their answer because they were laughing the whole time, so I called Yamada and had him asking around through his doctor contacts. Hmm, he hasn't reported back yet... Sorry, I lost count. Shizuru, is this important?"

"Na... Natsuki..." Shizuru was almost in tears. "You... I'm sure Fuuka Academy has Sex Ed as a mandatory course. Have you forgotten EVERYTHING you were taught? And you hung out in bars almost every night when you were researching the First District, didn't you ever listen to ANYTHING those bar-goers said?"

"What's that about?" Natsuki was beyond confused. "So I skipped classes, big deal. As long as I know the basic, who needs Sex Ed? And why would I want to listen to those dirty old drunks?"

"How about romantic movies and novels and... and..." Shizuru let out a long, defeated sigh. "Internet porn."

Natsuki sneered. "You know I don't watch chick flicks. They're boring. I have no interest in porn either. I'm not a horny teenage boy like Takeda. Why are you asking all those weird questions? Just tell me outright what you want to say. Stop beating around the bush."

Shizuru wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry. But then a naughty idea bubbled up into her mind. She grinned inwardly and asked with a straight face: "I understand now. Natsuki was only stopping for my sake. Does that mean Natsuki actually wants to continue?"

Blushing hotly, Natsuki looked away and nodded. "It felt... good. But your health is more important than anything, you don't have to force yourself..."

Biting the inside of her lips, Shizuru smiled innocently and suggested: "Natsuki does not need to worry about me. Let's see... How about this: we'll try something different this time, something that wouldn't put much strain on my body. What does Natsuki think?"

Natsuki scratched her head idly and nodded again. "As long as you're fine, then I guess it's all right."

_Bingo!_

* * *

"Shizuru... Are you sure? This doesn't feel right." Looking up at Shizuru's twinkling eyes, Natsuki couldn't keep the blushes off her face. Deep down she had a feeling that she was being tricked by the Kyoto-born, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. 

Their positions were reversed per Shizuru's instructions. Natsuki was now lying on her back with Shizuru kneeling between her legs and crouching over her body. Shizuru, for all Natsuki knew, was a pushover. Because of the laid-back attitude and submissive nature Shizuru seemed to have, Natsuki was able to progress their romantic relationship at a very slow yet comfortable pace. Shizuru never pressed her to do anything, and she was also very accepting to every advance Natsuki made.

The possibility of Shizuru holding herself back to match her pace had never crossed Natsuki's mind.

"Natsuki always gets to be on top, no wonder my body is stressed out." Shizuru lied with practiced fluency. "Because Natsuki skipped Sex Ed, she doesn't know how to treat a female body properly. Girls are like delicate flowers; they need to be handled with love and care. Don't you agree?"

Shizuru's words were like a red, hot fire-poker through Natsuki's heart. "I'm sorry. I didn't know... That's no excuse. I've always been too rough with you. It's all my fault." Natsuki confessed with guilt clear on her face. Obviously she had taken Shizuru's lame lies to heart.

"Ara. There's really no need to beat yourself up over this." Shizuru cleared her throat and averted Natsuki's eyes. "No one's perfect. But, if Natsuki's willing, we could... practice."

Natsuki was never a good student, but what Shizuru suggested made perfect sense to her. "Practice's good. Tell me what to do, I'm willing to learn." _So I won't hurt you next time._

Shizuru cleared her throat again. Usually she had no qualms about lying, however, lying right to Natsuki's trusting face was a different story. _Maybe I do have a conscience after all._ Shizuru mused.

TBC

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. I thought I could wrap up the story in this chapter, but I failed again. It was difficult to keep them in character during the make-out scene. (Three cheers to Hannah/Beta!)

2. Please read and review.


	5. Bond

Chapter 5: Bond

_Too light._

Shizuru's fingers moved deliberately slowly, drawing lazy circles on her taut skin. Her honey-coloured hair tickled Natsuki's face while she traced along Natsuki's lips with the tip of her tongue.

_Too shallow._

Unaware of the whimpers coming out of her throat, Natsuki raised her head up in vain trying to capture Shizuru's teasing tongue for a deep kiss. Shizuru giggled and tilted her head back just enough so it was beyond Natsuki's reach.

"Patience, my dear Natsuki." Shizuru cooed at Natsuki's flushed face.

How Natsuki wanted to just push her girlfriend down on the futon and kiss her with all her worth. However, what Shizuru said earlier kept ringing in her head: _Girls are like delicate flowers; they need to be handled with love and care._ She couldn't make the same mistake again by being rough to the girl she treasured. _Shizuru is my girlfriend, not my opponent in a wrestling match for crying out loud. Stop thinking about flipping her over and pinning her down! _

Because Natsuki had her eyes squeezed shut, she missed the mischievous glints in Shizuru's eyes. She shuddered uncontrollably as Shizuru lightly grazed the underside of her breasts with a finger, making goosebumps rise up all over her body, Natsuki arched her back in a futile attempt for a more solid touch.

"Do you... have to tease?" Natsuki was almost in tears now. Taking Shizuru's hands in her own, she pressed them down on her own breasts and demanded with a mad blush on her cheeks: "Just touch me."

"Ara." Shizuru's lips curled up into a sad smile. Natsuki's reaction was exactly what she was planning for, however, she wasn't happy at all. She needed to make sure this was really what Natsuki wanted. She had made a terrible mistake taking advantage of Natsuki in the past, she was not about to make the same mistake again. "That I cannot do." Shizuru shook her head and pulled her hands away from Natsuki's breasts.

"Why not?" Natsuki caught Shizuru's hands again. She couldn't believe Shizuru would leave her hanging when they had come so far.

Sighing a little, Shizuru kissed the back of Natsuki's hand and replied with an apologetic look on her face. "Natsuki has too much faith in me. I am a very greedy woman. If Natsuki is so naive as to allow me do as I want, I may not be able to stop myself." She chuckled and continued with her eyes fixed somewhere on the tatami floor, determined not to look Natsuki in the eyes. "What I said earlier about Natsuki stressing out my body was just a lie. I was only teasing. Don't take everything I said to heart."

"What's so wrong about believing in you?" Natsuki asked with a smile. "You tease me all the time, but what has that to do with anything? It's not like you would ever hurt me on purpose."

"But I was trying to..."

"Trick me into having sex with you?" Natsuki laughed at the stunned expression frozen on Shizuru's face. "I'm kinda slow, I know, but I'm not THAT slow." Pulling her hands out of Shizuru's slackened grasp, Natsuki put her hands on Shizuru's shoulders and drew her in for a hug. "You could've just asked, and I would've said yes."

"But..." Shizuru could feel something swell up into a lump in her throat.

"If it's with you, then I don't think there should be anything for me to worry about." Natsuki could almost feel steam shooting out of her ears, but she continued: "I'll admit I have no idea what two girls do to have sex. You know, since neither of us has a dick. I guess I should've done some research on it. Damn. Do you think I can find relevant information on the internet? It's too embarrassing to ask around in person..."

The rest of the sentence was swallowed up by a frantic kiss.

Shizuru had never kissed her like this. There was so much need, so much urgency in the kiss. At that moment, Natsuki realized just how much Shizuru had been holding herself back. Though still light-headed from the intense kiss, Natsuki did not miss the pair of hands fervently groping every inch of exposed skin on her body.

"Na... Natsuki. I can't stop..." Shizuru kissed down the column of Natsuki's neck and grazed it with her teeth, marking it as her own. "... Can't stop..." She moaned.

"Then don't stop." Natsuki breathed, stroking Shizuru's chestnut-coloured hair with a trembling hand.

Natsuki's express permission obliterated the last bit of restrain Shizuru had. Reaching down to the edge of Natsuki's already soaked pink lacy underwear, Shizuru hooked her thumbs over the elastic and removed the last piece of cloth on the younger girl.

"Mmm... Don't let me be the only one butt naked." Face beet red from her own nakedness, Natsuki whined and circled her arms tighter around Shizuru's shoulders. Her response nearly sent Shizuru into a laughing fit.

That problem was easily mended.

It was not the first time they'd seen each other naked. But it was the first time they allowed themselves to explore each other's naked body without restraint.

Natsuki wanted to ask Shizuru not to stare, but she really had no grounds to make such a request since she was doing the exact same thing to Shizuru herself. For some bizarre reason, she found herself staring at the clear liquid glistening between Shizuru's legs. Shizuru must have noticed where Natsuki's eyes were looking, because her whole body had turned red in an incredible full-body blush.

"Er... Sorry." Natsuki quickly looked away. She swore she could hear her blood rushing in her ears.

"Ikezu." Shizuru murmured and continued kissing her way down Natsuki's collarbone, all the while stroking the underside of Natsuki's lithe thighs with her palms.

It felt like Shizuru was tickling her, but it was a different sensation Natsuki didn't know how to describe. Whatever that was, it felt great. It felt even better when Shizuru rolled her tongue around an erect nipple while pinching her other one with a thumb and middle finger.

She must have begged out loud, because she could hear, feel, Shizuru grinning like a cat that just stole its owner's dinner.

"Begging already?"

Natsuki faintly registered Shizuru's husky voice in her hazy mind. Her body was aching for more. Not caring what Shizuru would say after this, she sloppily put her hands on the back of the Kyoto-born's head and offered more of herself to the older girl.

Elated by Natsuki's gesture, Shizuru licked harder, dipping her tongue into the girl's navel before sucking on the smooth skin of her toned stomach. Natsuki's hips jumped up in response to Shizuru's kiss, thrashing aimlessly while whimpering aloud.

"Don't cry..." Shizuru rose up and stroke Natsuki's tear-stained face. "We'll stop..."

"Don't stop." Natsuki wiped her face with the back of her hands and demanded: "I'm not crying. They just come out on their own. Damn it, if you stop now I'll never forgive you."

Planting a chaste kiss on the crying girl's slightly swollen lips, Shizuru flashed her a calming smile and picked up where she left off. Licking the inside of Natsuki's trembling thighs, Shizuru panted heavily as she inched toward the junction between Natsuki's legs.

Now she finally figured out what she wanted every time Shizuru smiled at her and all she felt was a weight pressing down on her chest and butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

She longed for Shizuru. She wondered why she hadn't figured this out sooner.

Bucking her hips against Shizuru's mouth, Natsuki sobbed and pressed harder on the back of Shizuru's head. If not for the Kyoto-born keeping her legs apart with a hand, she would have kicked her over the head.

Natsuki's tears worried Shizuru greatly, but Natsuki's hands made it clear that she did not wish her to stop at all. Peering up from where she was, she couldn't help but feel an aching emptiness between her own thighs when she saw Natsuki's flushed face twisted in intense pleasure.

_Almost... Almost what?_ Natsuki was confused by her own thought. Her attention was quickly diverted by Shizuru's nimble tongue delving up and down her flooded fold. Her body tensed up a bit in alarm but quickly relaxed when Shizuru carefully insert a finger inside her. Strangely, it was not intrusive at all. It was, for the lack of a better word, very fulfilling.

Slowly at first, Shizuru gradually picked up the tempo of her finger stroking Natsuki's wonderfully soft and searing flesh. Another finger joined in after a few moments.

"Shi... Shizuru... Please..." Natsuki had no idea what she was begging for. All she knew was she so badly needed something only Shizuru could give her. Her whole body was tensing up, all her muscles winding up so tightly that something was about to break.

And it did break when Shizuru closed her lips around the edge of Natsuki's lower lips, sucking gently on the pink nub while pushing her fingers deeply into the girl she loved.

* * *

It took seemingly forever before Natsuki finally came down from the incredible high she had just experienced. Still throbbing from the aftermath, she opened her eyes lazily and found herself cradled in her girlfriend's arms. Heat crept up her cheeks when she realized what they just did. This sex thing wasn't so terrifying like she had thought – it was oddly liberating to give up all her defences and embrace her most precious person. 

_That, plus Shizuru has a wonderful tongue. Great kisser, that woman is._

"Natsuki's smiling." Shizuru was smiling too. "Was it good?"

"What?" Natsuki laughed. "You just want me to say it, don't you?"

"Natsuki knows me so well." Shizuru pressed on. "So?"

Blinking a few times, Natsuki eventually caught on to why Shizuru would be so determined to squeeze out a reply from her. "I loved it." She cupped Shizuru's face with both hands and kissed her on the lips. "And I love you."

Shizuru had never been happier. "I love you too."

Until Natsuki surprised her by tackling her and holding her down on the futon. "Since you were only bullshitting about me being on top stressing out your body… HA! I don't have to hold back now! Did you know how awkward it felt for me to stay still at the bottom?"

The smirk on Natsuki's face sent shivers down Shizuru's spine. "Ara, I don't remember asking Natsuki to stay till. What is Natsuki trying to accomplish now? Win a wrestling match against me?" She asked innocently.

"No." Natsuki caught Shizuru's wrists and pinned them above her head. "Much worse."

"Oh. Perhaps another tickle marathon?" Shizuru frowned with great concern. "I haven't done anything bad enough to warrant such punishment yet. Have I?"

"Good guess." Natsuki kept one hand securely on Shizuru's wrists and reached down to the side of her waist. "But not good enough. Who said I want to tickle you?" She reached further down and grabbed one of Shizuru's thighs while straddling the other one. "Now I remember. Our legs were like this when you had your 'seizure' last time. You could've just told me instead of having me running around asking other people about it. God, that was embarrassing. I'm so going to make you pay now."

"I thought you knew. It's elementary, Natsuki." Shizuru looked up into Natsuki's brilliant emerald eyes and chuckled softly. She couldn't wait for Natsuki's 'punishment'. The girl was a fast learner, after all.

* * *

Shizuru's mother stood in front of her daughter's room and shook her head in amusement. Covering her mouth to stifle a laugh, she stuck a piece of paper on the closed sliding doors and quietly walked away. She needed to get out of the house and hide for the remaining time Shizuru and her cute little girlfriend stayed over. Why? Because she had a funny feeling that her life would be in dire danger the next morning the two girls woke up and saw what was written on that piece of paper. 

It read: "Do Not Disturb. Hot Lesbian Sex In Session."

* * *

Author's Notes: 

1. ... Can't stop blushing. (Hannah said she giggled a lot when she was betaing this story. ;-;) Now I'm going to crawl under a rock and hide for the rest of the night... week... or maybe month.

2. So this is it. The end of a long (well, at least for me) ShizNat lemon. (Caz, teach me how to write an epic smut!) I hope you all like it. Please read and review.


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